Means for retarding or stopping motion.



PATNTED MAR. 3, 1903..

y M. s. oKUN. MEANS PoR RETARDING 0R STOPPING MOTION.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 8, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MDEL.

PATENTBD MAR. 3,1903. M. s. oKUN. l K MEANS PoR RETARDING 0R sToPPING MOTION.

APPLICATION FILED JULY-3, 1902.

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No MODEL.

WMM/Leases une? | A GroNnc UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MOSES S. OKUN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MEANS FOR RETA'RDING OR STOPPING MOTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 721,827, datedMarch 3, 1903. Application filed J'nly 8, 1902. 4Seriall\`lo.114=,74=4=. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, MOSES S. OKUN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, New York city, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Means for Retarding or Stopping Motion, of which the following is such a full, clear, and exact description as will enable any one skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to means in which a suitable liquid is employed as one of the elements for rctarding the movement of a driven member or to stop the movement thereof; and the principal object in view is to provide means of this character-in which the retarding or the complete stopping of the driven member is brought about with a smooth and gradual action and in a noiseless manner.

With this and other cbjectsin view the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar arrangements and combinations of the several parts of the apparatus, alias hereinafter fully described and then pointed out in the claims.

I have illustrated several types of my inventionin the accompanyingdrawings,wherein- Figure l is a central vertical sectional view of the main part of my apparatus with the liquid supplying reservoir omitted. The plane of this section is parallel with the driven shaft. Fig. 2 is a view of the same on a central vertical plane, taken at right angles to that in Fig. l and with the addition of the reservoirand part of the valveoperating mechanism. Figs. 3 and 4, respectively, are vertical sectional views transverse of the driven shaft of modified forms of the invention. Fig. 5 shows, on a reduced scale, a plan View of an ordinary car-truck equipped with my improved means for retarding or braking the axle of the car-wheel.

Referring to the drawings, in which like numbers of reference designate like parts throughout, 1 is a closed casing or cylinder in which is mounted eccentrically a cylindrical body or piston 2, which is of smaller diameter than the interior of the cylinder l. This body or piston 2 is mounted upon and turns with a shaft 3, which extends through the sides of the cylinder and is mounted in suitable bearings 4 at each side thereof. The sides of the cylindrical piston 2 fit snugly against the sides of the interior cylinder, and the periphery of the piston also iits snugly against the interior circumference of the cylinder at a point where it touches the same, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 and also Fig. 4. In this way there is provided between the peripheryvof the piston 2 and the interior of the cylinder a space 5, which is crescentshaped, and this space travels or changes its position as the piston rotates. This space extends almost entirely around the periphery of the piston, and its capacity or size may be increased by increasing the difference in proportion between the diameter of the piston and the internal diameter of the cylinder. This space 5 is kept iilled with a suitable liquid, such as oil, as indicated at 6, and as the piston is rotated the body of liquid 6 is continually shifted as the space changes its position, and this is the normal condition under which the apparatus operates. If now itvbe desired to check the movement of the piston, this can Y be done by checking the movement of the body of liquid 6. In the construction shown I use for this purpose a valve or gate 7, which is located in a chamber 8 in the wall of the cylinder and extends from one side of the cylinder to the other, the arrangement cf-this valve being such that its free end may be seated upon the periphery of the piston when the Valve is forced down or closed, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. When the valve is closed upon the periphery of the piston, the latter may slide under the valve, which will rise and fall, according to whether a high part or low part of the eccentric piston passes under the valve. When the valve is closed, the body of liquid 6 is divided and the portion thereof toward which the high part of the piston is moving acts like a wedge in conjunction with the approaching high part of the piston, and this results in a retardation or checking of the piston in its rotary movement and eventually stops the movement of the piston.

The valve 7 is provided with the two stems 9 9, which pass loosely through openings in the wall of the chamber 8 and are connected with a rocker l0, which is pivoted at ll and IOO These rods 12 and 13 are extended to points from where they may conveniently be operated by the hand-levers 14 and 15. A spring 16 is placed around each valve-stem 9, and one end of the spring bears against the back of the valve, while the other end bears against the interior wall of the valve-chamber 8, and each ofthe springs tends to hold the valve with the spring-pressure against the piston when the valve is thrown by the rocker 10.

The space 5, which contains the body of liquid 5, is kept supplied constantly by a reservoir 17, having an air-vent 38 at the top thereof and connected by a valved pipe 18 with the interior of the cylinder 1. The supply-valve in the pipe 1S is indicated at 19, and it opens inwardly toward the cylinder, but is kept closed normally on its seat 2O by means of a spring 21, which surrounds the stem 35 of the valve and acts to force the valve upwardly, and thereby hold it on its seat. The liquid or oil 6 coming from the reservoir 17 under atmospheric pressure will be forced past the valve 19 whenever there is a loss of liquid from the space 5, and in this way the space 5 is maintained and constantlysupplied with theliquid.

In order to construct the apparatus so that it may be made to retard or check the speed of rotation ot' the piston withou-t being able to stop the motion thereof entirely, I connect two suitably-spaced points of the space 5 in the cylinder with a by passage or pipe 22, which pipe is of a comparatively small crosssectional area, as clearlyindicated in Figs. l and 2. The points ot' connection of the by- Apassage with the cylinder are upon opposite y sides ot' the valve 7, and when the valve is closed the two divisions of this space 5 will then be connected by way of the by-passage 22, which being of small size will permit but a gradual flow of the liquid 6 from one division of the space 5 around to the other as the high part of the moving piston presses upon the body 6 of the liquid. rlhis by-passage 22 is provided with a hand-operated valve 23, by means of which the passage may be entirely closed, under which condition the apparatus can be used to stop the movement of the piston after it has retarded the same. This valve 23 in the by-passage is connected with suitable operating-rods 24 and 25, which extend to distant points, from where they may be conveniently operated by hand-levers 26 and 27, respectively, as indicated in Fig. 5, wherein I have shown my invention as applied to an ordinary car, the truck 28 of which is provided with two pairs of Wheels 29 and 30, the axle 3 of the wheels 29 being provided with the apparatus already described. When the car is in motion, its speed may be reduced or the car may be stopped by closing the v valve 7 by manipulating the connecting-rods 12 and 13 by means of the hand-levers 14 and 15, respectively at either end of the car.

In order to recover the oil or liquid that may leak from the space 5 by the piston and the shaft 3, I'provide the bearings 4 of the shaft each with a series of annular recesses 31, which by means of suitable pipe connections 32 are in communication with a main return-pipe 33, which leads to the reservoir 17. By having a series of the liquid-catching recesses or boxes 31 in each of the shaftbearings there is little liability of any of the liquid escaping along the shaft.

In the modification shown in Fig. 3 the piston 2 is oval-shapedinstead of being circular or cylindrical, so that it provides between its periphery and the interior ot' the cylinder two of the crescent-shaped recesses 5 at diametrically opposite points of the piston. Each of these chambers 5 is provided with a gate or valve 7, and the spaces are each connected upon opposite sides of the Valve with a bypassage 22, and the several respective parts cooperate in the manner already described in connection with Figs. 1 and 2.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4 the cylindrical or circular piston 2 is provided upon its periphery at diametrically opposite points with a valve or plate 7, which is arranged in a chamber 8 in the piston and is acted upon by a spring 16, which tends to force the valve 7 outwardly against the interior wall of the cylinder 1. This piston is of a smaller diameter than the interior of the cylinder in which it operates and is mounted eccentrically in the cylinder, so as to touch at a point in the wall of the cylinder and provide between the periphery of the piston and the Wall of the cylinder the crescent-shaped space 5,in which is contained the liquid 6. A by-passage 22 of a comparatively large crosssectional area connects two diainetrically opposite points of the cylinder 1 and is kept filled with the liquid 6, which is moved back and forth through the by-passage as the piston rotates. At a suitable point in the by-passage is placed a hand-operated valve 34 for closing the passage to prevent the flow of liquid through the same. In the normal operation of the apparatus the valve 34 is open, and when it is desired to slow down the speed of the piston or to stop it the valve 34 is closed, and this holds at rest the body of liquid in the space 5, and the same wedging action takes place as already described in reference to Figs. 1 and 2.

From the foregoing description it will be raadily seen that in the use of this apparatus for slowing down the speed of machinery or stopping the same a very gradual and smooth action is obtained, as the body of liquid in the crescent-shaped space is subjected to a wedging action. The employment of the body of liquid in this capacity also subjects the apparatus to much less wear than where one solid part is brought against another in machinery of this kind.

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IIS

There are many applications that can be made of this invention, though I have shown but one use of it-namely, that in connection with an ordinary car in which it is used as a brake.

I Wish to be understood as not limiting my invention to the precise forms of construction herein set forth, as various modifications may be made in the diiferent parts thereof without, however, departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. As a means for retarding or stopping mo tion, the combination of a driven member, a casing and a contained member having relative rotary movement and receiving such motion from said driven member, the said casing and contained member being of such relative shape as to provide between the interior of the former and the periphery of the latter a space extending partially around the same, a liquid filling such space, and a valve or gate adapted to close across said space to retard or to prevent the iiow of said liquid and thereby retard or stop said driven member.

,2. As a means for retarding or stopping m0- tion, the combination of a driven member, a casing and a contained member having relative rotary movement and receiving such motion from said driven member, the said casing and contained member being of such relative shape as to provide between the interior of the former and the periphery of the latter a crescent-shaped space extending partially around the same, a liquid lling such space, a valve or gate adapted to close across said space, and a by-passage connecting one end of said space with the other so as to place such ends in communication through said passage when the valve is closed.

3. As a means for retarding or stopping motion, the combination of a driven member, a casing and a contained member having relative rotary movement and receiving such motion from said driven member, the said cas ing and contained member being of such relative shape as to provide between the interior of the former and the periphery of the latter a crescen t-shaped space extending partially around the same, a liquid Iilling such space, a valve or gate adapted to close across said space to retard or to prevent the ilow of said liquid and thereby ret-ard or stop said driven member, and aliquid-supplying reservoir connected with said casing by valved pipe connection.

4. As a means for retardin g or stopping motion, the combination of a driven member, a casing and a contained member having relative rotary movement and receiving such motion from said driven member, the said casing and contained member being of such relative shape as to provide between the interior of the former and the periphery of the latter a crescent-shaped'space extending partially around the same, a liquid lling such space, and a valve or gate adapted to close across said space to retard or to prevent the flow of said liquid and thereby retard or stop -said driven member.

5. The combination of a casing, a piston mounted to rotate within said casing and provided with a shaft having bearings in the sides of the casing, a space between the interior of said casing and the periphery of the piston and a liquid lling said space, the said bearings of the shaft being provided with a set of recesses for catching the liquid which may escape from the casing, and pipe connections extending from said recesses.

6. As a means for retarding or stopping motion, the combination of a driven member, a casing and a contained member having relative rotary movement and receiving such motion from said driven member, the said casing and contained member being of such relative shape as to provide between the interior of the former and the periphery of the latter a crescent-shaped space extending partially around the same, a liquid filling such space, a valve or gate adapted to close across said space, a b v-passage connecting one end ofl said space with the other so as to place such ends in communication through said passage when the valve is closed, and a handoperated valve located in said by-passage for controlling the same.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of the two subscribing witnesses.

MOSES S. OKUN.

Witnesses:

WILLIS FowLER,

ROY F. FLEMING.

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